


now my sun's goin' down

by soulsolid



Category: Brave (2012), How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Rise of The Brave Tangled Dragons - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Banter, Crossover, F/M, Feelings Realization, Friendship, Prompt Fill, pre-relationship if you look at it with a straw, they're in their mid-twenties here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:48:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28405761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soulsolid/pseuds/soulsolid
Summary: The dusk sky is a gentle expanse above them, endless and glowing, the color of Toothless’s gummy smile. Hiccup takes off his helmet and draws a breath, watches as the real thing dips his snout into the lake for a drink. Somewhere on the horizon, the sun hangs low, spilling molten gold into the clear waters.It’s been a long day.A series of thicksplashechoes somewhere on his left, followed by a dark cloud of sediment roiling under the water’s surface, ending the peaceful quiet. Hiccup turns to look at the source. Merida has somehow walked all the way past the lake’s edge, water around her knees and is now in a heated splashing contest with herhorse.-(or: Hiccup and Merida decide to take a rest in the middle of their journey. Silliness (and some Realizations™) ensues.)
Relationships: Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III & Merida (Disney), Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III/Merida (Disney)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 24





	now my sun's goin' down

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ShiroiMajo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShiroiMajo/gifts).



> this is a flower prompts fill for shiroi-majo on tumblr, who asked for Mericcup + the flower "Gladiolus" _(you pierce my heart) _. enjoy!__

The tarn they accidentally found on their way back from the mountainside village is a sight to behold: a crystal-clear, rock basin lake extended between steep banks, right beside the massive mountain range they’re trekking down. Merida calls it a corrie loch. He calls it a _tjörn _.__ One thing they can agree, however, is that it’s a good place to rest before continuing their journey back to Berk.

“Five minutes?” she asks, already tightening the strings of her hooded cape and urging her horse to a gallop before she’s even done with the question.

“I highly doubt this will end in five minutes,” Hiccup deadpans, watching the way Merida whoops as Angus races towards the small stretch of water, before nudging Toothless to join the Scottish princess and her steed at the lake’s bank.

Angus whinnies gratefully upon reaching the water, and all but jumps into the shallow edge for his fill. Merida, who has hopped off her Clydesdale, gets down into a very un-ambassador-like crouch at the lake’s mouth; already surveying the lake’s distance and picking up small pebbles near her shoe for a decent stone-skipping.

Already used at the Scots’ antics after her two weeks stay in Berk, Hiccup wordlessly dismounts his dragon for a chance to stretch his legs as well, a few careful meters between them.

The dusk sky is a gentle expanse above them, endless and glowing, the color of Toothless’s gummy smile. Hiccup takes off his helmet and draws a breath, watches as the real thing dips his snout into the lake for a drink. Somewhere on the horizon, the sun hangs low, spilling molten gold into the clear waters.

It’s been a long day. A voyage for trade agreement is something that Hiccup has done often as the chief’s son, but it’s his first time playing the middleman while the players decide the bounty among themselves: wool and wood in exchange for iron and bear fur. Both of the alliance—the Larvik tribe of the Eastern Mountains and the DunBroch clan—would greatly benefit from it in the approaching winter months, and so the arrangement was finished in record time. Hiccup had agreed to be his friend’s guide mostly due to worry that the ambassador’s temper will clash with the mountain men’s, but she is surprisingly capable at reigning it in; a balance of cordiality and firmness as she presents her offer, so much so that he barely needs to step in to play the diplomat at all.

A series of thick _splash_ echoes somewhere on his left, followed by a dark cloud of sediment roiling under the water’s surface, ending the peaceful quiet. Hiccup turns to look at the source. Merida has somehow walked all the way past the lake’s edge, water around her knees and is now in a heated splashing contest with her _horse._

“I thought we’re just stopping by for a drink?” he calls out, amused.

Merida looks up in the middle of kicking water at Angus’ front, a small grin on her face. Hiccup can’t help but return the smile, ignoring a small pang in his chest at the sight.

“Aye, just after I teach this one a les— _Angus! _”__ she yelps when the Clydesdale suddenly bumps his muzzle against her shoulder, disturbing her footing and making her slip. The following splash carries a bigger impact this time, sending sprays to where Hiccup and Toothless are standing.

“That’s _it _,__ you spoiled, mangy oaf,” huffing from her sprawled position in the sandy waters, Merida slams her hand against the lake’s surface, sending splashes all around. “No oats for ye tonight!”

Angus neighs in response.

“He’s got a point there,” Hiccup drawls, lifting a palm to wipe the droplets on his cheek. “We’ve run out of oats supply for three days now. Your threat means nothing.”

“You stay out of this,” Merida warns.

Behind him, Toothless warbles, interest piqued.

“Nuh-uh, Bud,” Hiccup says firmly. “Nope.”

Too late.

(Hiccup bets the watery _bombshell_ his dragon made can be seen all the way from the valleys below, hundreds of meters underneath their trail.)

The following chaos goes like this: Angus shrieks at the sight of the Night Fury diving towards him and tries to hide behind his owner. Merida receives a faceful of excess water as Toothless gleefully comes up from the lake’s surface with his wings spread and decides to retaliate with a few powerful splashes of her own. Hiccup naturally gets dragged into the fight, silently bidding farewell to his _dry_ leather flying suit as he assists Toothless in sending Merida so many sandy splashes she couldn’t see anything in front of her. 

Merida (and Angus, after his owner’s betrayed urging to stand his ground) puts up an admirable fight though, and somewhere among the mess, has managed to grab the strap of Hiccup’s flying suit and _pulled_. With a final splash at his left side, Hiccup goes down into the shallow waters.

“Ha!” Merida pumps a fist through the air, one hand still gripping the strap across Hiccup’s abdomen like she’s trying to make sure he won’t accidentally drown. “Another win fer the DunBrochs!”

Toothless made a barking sound that reverberates across the tarn, looking amused that his rider is at the mercy of the funny ambassador that knows where to scratch that pleasing spot under his chin. Hiccup spews some more water and chuckles at the exuberant look on Merida’s face. 

It’s actually not so bad, being beaten at a silly impromptu water fight, especially when the opponent is someone who also happens to be a friend he trusts will catch his fall; even when it’s her who did the pushing. His eyes then linger on the way she grins over him, her completely soaked dress, and the subtle strength as she easily keeps him suspended mid-fall despite only warm water is waiting for him at the shallow bottom. So unlike the young ambassador that sent him a panicked look across the room hours ago, during an arduous trade negotiation that almost crashed due to a language barrier.

Realization suddenly lodged into his chest like an arrow, and his smile vanishes.

“Yeah, yeah,” Hiccup congratulates flatly, trying to calm his heartbeat as he lies onto a more comfortable position on the sandy bank.

“Och, come on,” she huffs, laughter in her voice, fingers gently letting go as Hiccup settles on the ground at the edge of the lake. “On your feet, Haddock. It’s getting dark.”

“Foot, you mean,” he coughs wetly, still flat on his back and not quite ready to look at her yet.

Somewhere outside his periphery, Merida groans at the one-legged joke.

“And don’t go ‘it’s getting dark’ at me, _you’re_ the one who made us take a detour here. Take some responsibility, you hooligan.”

“Well, _your_ dragon obviously liked the break too, so I don’t see a problem here,” fists on her hips, Merida takes a step closer to stare him down, “Invader,” she adds after a beat, one eyebrow playfully nocked upwards.

She’s got him pinned now. Hiccup cannot _not _look.__

Her wet hair falls to her shoulders for trying to meet his eyes, and the drowning sun creates a halo of gleaming fire around her head. It’s just natural lighting, but—sunny spells like today don’t come around often in the Eastern Mountains. Makes it even harder to look away, to not appreciate. Hiccup stares at the firelight in her hair, the humor in her eyes, and. There it is again—a sharp twisting in his chest. The phantom bite of steel through the flesh.

“Haddock?” she snaps a finger over his face, looking like some kind of a drenched, deranged valkyrie that just dragged him to Valhalla’s shore. “Yer head’s still there?”

It would be so much better if she just shot him, he thinks wryly. Or maybe stabbed him (He’s seen her with swords before—also a terrifying force to behold). At least he knows his way around those kinds of wounds. But this?

“Oi, Haddock,” she almost sounds _worried_ now. “Did you hit something on the way down? Can ye stand?”

“Y—yeah, ‘s all fine, just,” he stutters, throwing an arm over his eyes, blocking the sight of her outreached hand. “Just—tired. Sorry. Give me five minutes?”

“Alright.” Merida lowers down her arm with a shrug, and—oh GODS—sits right next to him. “Rest up. I’ll tell ya when it’s time to head back.”

Behind them, Toothless _cackles _.__

**Author's Note:**

> first of all i would like to thank google docs for teaching me how to spell cydlesdale <33
> 
> i was a little nervous because this is literally my first time writing these nerds in a romantic setting, not to mention there was a request for fluff too... so i hope i deliver?? though atp it just feels like 1k+ of Hiccup Realizing™ with Merida living her best life in the wilderness in the background lmao
> 
> but for real though, the concept of ‘being pierced’ as imagery for falling in love/crush and freaking MERIDA as the type to have that kind of effect on people is both so on-brand for her and hilarious to me, the irresponsible archer that she is… which was why i made this fic with that direction in mind. thank you for reading, and any comment/concrit is welcome!


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